AT the time of planning of the Pahalgam false flag operation, Indian strategists thought of concluding the Kashmir dispute in its favour forever.
Indeed, this was the next phase, following the Pulwama false flag operation-2019.
Following the Pulwama false flag operation, India annexed the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) into its union territory which was a serious violation of UN Charter, UN resolutions on Kashmir and bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan.
Through the Pahalgam false flag operation India wanted to close the Kashmir case on the grounds that Pakistani backed militants attacked Indian Territory (IIOJK).
Indeed, it was a well-planned Indian strategy of absorbing IIOJK into its union territory in phases.
Kashmir was and remains an international issue as accepted by India, Pakistan and the United Nations.
This all is well documented in the form of UN resolutions, Simla Agreement and commitments of Indian leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru over the future of Kashmir.
How India planned a strategy over Kashmir and implemented that in phases.
Following Simla Accord-1972, India started calling Kashmir a bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan.
It is significant to mention that, Para 1(ii) of the Simla Agreement reads: “That the two countries are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them.
Pending the final settlement of any of the problems between the two countries, neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation nor shall both prevent the organization, assistance or encouragement of any acts detrimental to the maintenance of peaceful and harmonious relations.”
To cater for the safeguards on the Kashmir dispute, Para 1(i) of the Simla Agreement clearly reads, “That the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations shall govern the relations between the two countries.
” Simla Agreement cannot be over and above the UN Charter, UN resolutions and above all the UN declared status on Kashmir.
Simla could not annul the UN resolutions on Kashmir, which remain relevant even today, after India unilaterally annexed the state illegally.
Nevertheless, leaving aside the perspective of international law and UN resolutions on the Kashmir dispute, the Simla Agreement stands scrapped after India took a unilateral step of doing away with the special status of the state by abrogating Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
It is India which has violated the Simla Agreement (Para 1(ii)), by altering the situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, unilaterally.
In practical terms, the Simla Agreement stand scrapped in totality on August 5, 2019.
Kashmir has been and remains as an international dispute.
Nevertheless, India has been portraying it as bilateral for decades, yet asking the international community for its resolution.
In 2019, Modi asked President Trump for the resolution of Kashmir; calling for a third party intervention.
Ironically, India has launched a quiet yet conspicuous diplomatic offensive across continents, engaging with foreign governments and multilateral bodies under the pretence of countering “cross-border terrorism.
” If it’s a bilateral matter, as they claim, then why is India dispatching delegations to all over the world for its resolution.
And also reaching out to regional blocks like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?
This contradiction exposes the fragile underpinnings of India’s diplomatic posturing.
Even more telling is the composition of these delegations.
In a surprising turn, figures from India’s opposition, like Shashi Tharoor, have been leading these engagements.
This is no accidental show of unity.
It is a calculated move by the Modi-led government to blur accountability lines.
By involving opposition leaders, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing a convenient political escape route: if these outreach efforts fail to yield results, the blame can be cleverly redirected toward the opposition, absolving the government of any responsibility.
This duplicity is not confined to diplomacy alone.
India’s handling of the Indus Waters Treaty; a cornerstone agreement signed in 1960 with Pakistan under World Bank mediation also highlights a recurring pattern of hypocrisy.
As the upper riparian state, India is obligated to ensure uninterrupted flow of water to Pakistan from the western rivers.
In essence, India’s diplomacy today is not guided by doctrine, but by optics.
It is shaped less by foreign policy vision and more by the insecurities of a government that seek to manipulate perception rather than address realities.
India has a confusion of ‘ism’; nationalism, multilateralism, or opportunism which is just semantic.
It is symptomatic of a state apparatus struggling to reconcile its internal contradictions with the expectations of a watchful world.
Pakistan must move its case against India for its illegal act of undoing the special status of IIOJK in 2019 and suspension of Indus Water Treaty (IWT)-1960.
Both Indian acts are unilateral and illegal as per essence of UN resolutions (UNSC-91 and UNSC-122) and essence of IWT.
The contemporary Indian diplomatic efforts and political engagements after a military defeat from Pakistan seems yet another failed strategy.
Today, Pakistan has an upper edge after Indian aggression of May 6/7 and disclosure of real Indian strategy through a series of false flag operations.
Besides, the Kashmir dispute has been re-internationalized once again by default and against the Indian efforts of burying the Kashmir dispute for forever.
It is worth mentioning that, upon taking over the command of Pakistan Army, Field Marshal Asim Munir had a clear vision of internationalizing the Kashmir dispute.
It was through his hectic and unremitting efforts that, today, US President Donald Trump is offering his services for the resolution of this protracted unresolved Kashmir dispute.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad. ([email protected])
